Hi all,
A good friend of mine called recently, seeking opinions on some advice she was being asked for. I wasn't really sure the best answer, and thought I'd ask here.
A man in his 40s suffering from hepatitis, MRSA, and likely various other autoimmune disorders recently collapsed and ended up in the hospital, unable to move. Doctors says his liver is all but toast - maybe 10% function remaining, full blown cirrhosis, and probably only weeks to live. The hepatitis is due to decades of alcohol (and likely other substance) consumption, and his diet has been atrocious at best for the last 10-15 years.
Apparently a group of 'friends' have descended on him and his situation, and the person calling the shots is a hardcore paleo-diet promoter (perhaps to the extreme, and/or in an out of balance fashion). She wants to transition him to a diet of primarily grass fed beef, and some fermented dairy products, and eggs. First she called my friend asking for advice, and my friend called me. The people involved in helping this person don't necessarily know what the best approach is at this point, but are banking on a paleo solution, and possibly no vegetables also.
My good friend, who is quite knowledgeable about diet and health (and always open to new information) was conflicted after hearing about all this.
She thinks that while the paleo diet (when done properly) can make a lot of sense, for someone with almost zero liver function, she was gravely concerned that the added stress of the animal fats would simply be too much to process, and that some detoxing should firstly take place. This being in the form of a temporarily vegan diet, high in healthy fats, along with various green shakes and supplementation appropriate for liver detoxing.
My point to her was that detoxing and a paleo diet go hand in hand, and at the very least *some* natural animal fats should be immediately introduced, just to see how he would react. Being that hepatitis is a severe inflammation of the liver, simply removing all the inflammatory foods and drinks would begin a detox, and he should not be deprived of natural and proper fatty meats (possibly for the first time in over a decade) when his body may need that fuel the most. But of course, I made clear that I really know very little about this and am also no expert - and so said I would ask some folks of like mind for any ideas.
It sounds like the person making the decisions is of the opinion that grass fed beef is a cure all for everything all by itself (easy to understand that!). My friend and I both agree that regardless, supplementation is also going to be key, should this fellow even make it more than a few more weeks. I emphasized Sylmarin milk thistle, NAC, mega-dosing Vit C, Enzymes/bile and Magnesium for starters...she agreed and chimed in with burdock, urva ursi, and a couple other herbal remedies. We also agree that dairy is a BAD option right now, and probably the eggs too. Gluten and sugar need also be removed, which is currently the plan, or so she's heard.
Her main question is - when someone is as far gone as this person is, how wise is it to transition the person immediately to animal fats when their liver is all but done for? And if anyone has any other advice in general, it would be appreciated. While I don't know the person myself, I do feel for him and his family. And it is nice to hear people asking the right types of questions for once, I just don't have all the answers!
A good friend of mine called recently, seeking opinions on some advice she was being asked for. I wasn't really sure the best answer, and thought I'd ask here.
A man in his 40s suffering from hepatitis, MRSA, and likely various other autoimmune disorders recently collapsed and ended up in the hospital, unable to move. Doctors says his liver is all but toast - maybe 10% function remaining, full blown cirrhosis, and probably only weeks to live. The hepatitis is due to decades of alcohol (and likely other substance) consumption, and his diet has been atrocious at best for the last 10-15 years.
Apparently a group of 'friends' have descended on him and his situation, and the person calling the shots is a hardcore paleo-diet promoter (perhaps to the extreme, and/or in an out of balance fashion). She wants to transition him to a diet of primarily grass fed beef, and some fermented dairy products, and eggs. First she called my friend asking for advice, and my friend called me. The people involved in helping this person don't necessarily know what the best approach is at this point, but are banking on a paleo solution, and possibly no vegetables also.
My good friend, who is quite knowledgeable about diet and health (and always open to new information) was conflicted after hearing about all this.
She thinks that while the paleo diet (when done properly) can make a lot of sense, for someone with almost zero liver function, she was gravely concerned that the added stress of the animal fats would simply be too much to process, and that some detoxing should firstly take place. This being in the form of a temporarily vegan diet, high in healthy fats, along with various green shakes and supplementation appropriate for liver detoxing.
My point to her was that detoxing and a paleo diet go hand in hand, and at the very least *some* natural animal fats should be immediately introduced, just to see how he would react. Being that hepatitis is a severe inflammation of the liver, simply removing all the inflammatory foods and drinks would begin a detox, and he should not be deprived of natural and proper fatty meats (possibly for the first time in over a decade) when his body may need that fuel the most. But of course, I made clear that I really know very little about this and am also no expert - and so said I would ask some folks of like mind for any ideas.
It sounds like the person making the decisions is of the opinion that grass fed beef is a cure all for everything all by itself (easy to understand that!). My friend and I both agree that regardless, supplementation is also going to be key, should this fellow even make it more than a few more weeks. I emphasized Sylmarin milk thistle, NAC, mega-dosing Vit C, Enzymes/bile and Magnesium for starters...she agreed and chimed in with burdock, urva ursi, and a couple other herbal remedies. We also agree that dairy is a BAD option right now, and probably the eggs too. Gluten and sugar need also be removed, which is currently the plan, or so she's heard.
Her main question is - when someone is as far gone as this person is, how wise is it to transition the person immediately to animal fats when their liver is all but done for? And if anyone has any other advice in general, it would be appreciated. While I don't know the person myself, I do feel for him and his family. And it is nice to hear people asking the right types of questions for once, I just don't have all the answers!
